Pacific Rim: Movie Review

The narrator’s voice at the beginning of the movie was like nails on a chalkboard for me and I was hoping that it would be the only time I would have to hear his voice. However, I was soon to find out that the narrator is in fact the main character, so I was forced to listen to it throughout the entire movie. That being said, I still enjoyed the movie. It reminded me of “Godzilla vs Megalon” and “Robot Jox.” I like that the helmet of the robots served as the piloting center, although referring to them as “Jagers” had me thinking of the alcoholic beverage, and I would have preferred the term “Juggies”, but maybe that’s just my “Call of Duty” way of thinking. 🙂

I enjoyed the music and I really liked the fight scenes as well. The CG was fantastic in my eyes and I loved the work they did with making the “Shatter Dome” such a believable background location. 

Many of the fight scenes reminded me of human vs. human fight scenes from other action movies. For instance, one of the fights reminded me of a bar fight. The Jagers and Kaiju (monsters) would grab different items that were lying around as they fought. However, instead of getting punched in the face and grabbing the beer bottle lying on the floor next to them, they get punched and find the naval ship/office building/shipping containers. Which they then use to clobber their opponent. At one point I do believe the cargo containers represented a brass knuckle of sorts. It was very fun to watch and see these kinds of parallels to a human vs. human fight.

The interactions between the characters was very overacted, and I first thought it was due to goofy acting and screenwriting, but after some consideration I have decided that it must have been done purposely to create that campy/goofy feel. For instance, the main character looks as if he is about to laugh at everyone else’s lines and some of his more “serious” faces look as if he may need a restroom break. Believing that this type of acting was done on purpose makes the middle scenes, such as the training and candidate selection scene, a lot more bearable.

As far as the characters go it was a little confusing at first to tell some of the pilots apart since several of them sounded and looked similar. There was one set of pilots that reminded me of “Superman II” villains with bleached hair. One of the scientists reminded me of Rick Moranis and sent me back in time again. And I absolutely loved Ron Perlman’s “Deep Blue Sea” moment. This moment really made the movie for me and when I saw it wanted to immediately pre-order my DVD copy.

I also loved all the little quirky scenes like the bird disturbed on the dock and the Newton’s Cradle. All-in-all a good movie to watch for fun and one of those that you could play over and over at home as a “background” movie while you are doing other things. Entertaining but doesn’t require your full attention the whole time once you have seen it once. I think Guillermo Del Toro did a fine job on this one 😉

Despicable Me 2: Movie Review

The movie started of very cutely and I got a giggle from the octopus on the car windows, but as the movie progressed I began to lose interest and realized I should have brought a pillow to nap. Partway through the movie my interest was piqued again as I giggled some more about the main characters’ chicken encounter, and my hopes again rose that perhaps the slow parts were over. Alas, it was not so, and I very quickly was back to losing interest and thinking about that pillow.

It was an interesting choice of music for some parts of the soundtrack. And while I liked some of the songs and music, I also thought that some of it didn’t seem to be a very child-appropriate selection. Then again, who knows what kids are listening to these days.

One thing to consider before taking younger children to this movie is that they may be frightened by the minions when they are turned into purple fiends. They can be a little intense looking. 

All-in-all, I think kids (who aren’t frightened by the purple minion fiends) will enjoy this movie and run around reliving it for the next 5 months at the cost of their parents’ eardrums and sanity. Parents will most likely despise this movie and hold their hands over their ears for the next 5 months as their child runs rampant through the house screaming “BEEE DOOO BEEE DOOO BEEE DOOO.”

Wolverine: Movie Review

Well I think this movie will be better received by those die-hard X-Men fans than the regular public, but only time will tell. For me, I would have enjoyed it if the interesting and engaging parts of the movie were simply done as a 45 minute T.V. episode. The beginning of the movie seemed to move slowly for me and the very first action scene where we get to see Wolverine in action is so blurred and fast I couldn’t keep track of the fight. As the movie progressed I began to lose interest again, checking my watch several times wondering if we would be trudging to the credits anytime soon.

The villainess, who I assume was a character known as Viper, just seemed awkward to me. Perhaps if they didn’t have her changing clothes every five minutes for no apparent reason I could have accepted her character a little better. Or perhaps if I was better versed in that character’s history I would understand her better (however, I still don’t think that her history would explain her constant wardrobe changes).

 

The Heat: Movie Review

This movie had a lot of situational humor and over-the-top humor that had me laughing throughout the movie. Interestingly enough there were also a few serious scenes. The music towards the beginning of the movie seemed more indie in comparison to later in the movie when more songs I recognized were used. The ending of the movie was predictable for me, but the fact that it is full of scenes and jokes that kept me laughing I still enjoyed it.

I will warn that the “R” rating that this movie received is mostly likely largely influenced by the amount of language that is used. So if that’s not your thing, then most likely you’d want to avoid this movie. But if you don’t mind then I recommend it as a movie to make you laugh. All the characters did a wonderful job working with one another and my one disappointment was that there were not any outtakes or end scenes during the latter half of the credits/ the end of the credits. 

White House Down: Movie Review

Oh where to begin….

I think I have to begin with Channing Tatum, who’s acting I personally despise. (My apologies to Mr. Tatum for the criticism I’m sure your a wonderful person, your dancing skill is awe-inspiring, but your acting abilities are not quite there yet). For White House Down he seemed to be the person that helps the “real actor” practice their lines. That friend that just reads the lines off the paper while the “actor friend” acts out their lines. It was jarring to my senses. However, he is not the only one to blame for the entire failure of this film for me.

The music (once again my make or break point) was generic. Generic sounding ominous music, generic sounding action music, generic music in general. Almost like they could only choose from free music that is available to anyone and they didn’t have to pay royalties for.

I felt bad for Jamie Foxx because it seemed his acting was subpar in this movie as well, in comparison to other roles I have seen him play. Although I suspect this had more to do with the screenwriting and script than it did with Foxx’s acting ability. The lines he had to say were not the greatest.

Some of the other scenes/instances that struck the back of my brain like an icepick through my eyes were:

Tatum’s daughter, who is supposedly a technologically savvy kid, cannot manage to “silence her cellphone now”? Seems your not that savvy then huh kid?

A regular sized cart manages to destroy the entire top half of a building? Man that is a lot of powerful explosive in an “Itty-bitty living space” (although I will admit I have no explosives knowledge so there may be something capable of that, it just seemed a bit theatrical)

There was an “exciting” chase scene on the lawn of the White House that consisted of several laps (possibly 10 minutes worth) around the fountain and then a climactic finish through a tennis court! (sarcasm). During the chase scene I felt like I was witnessing a car sales pitch as everything that was mentioned earlier in the movie about what a Presidential limo could do and withstand was now being tested and done right before my very eyes. However, I lost my interest in purchasing one after I witnessed the fear the character’s experienced when they were headed for the tennis court fence…..I mean withstanding bullets and missiles are good qualities, but if that tennis court fence is going to cause doubt then I’m not so sure its the limo for me.

There were several instances of flashlights in people’s mouths, which is fine perhaps once for a dramatic effect, but after that just becomes silly.

During a fight scene on the roof, Tatum and a “bad guy” are fighting and grunting, however when they fall through the roof the grunting continues as they fall….were they also fighting on the way down? Seemed it was a little unnecessary to have “Fighting” grunts during the fall.

At one point a character points out that a bad guy is going to go to jail for shooting someone….um….apparently blowing up governmental buildings and taking hostages is fine, just don’t shoot anyone because then you could go to jail! The ridiculousness of that statement made my head spin.

One prominent character did a superb acting job and deserves a mention….the Elevator. Large portions of the movie seemed to revolve in, on, and around elevators.

Finally, I was disappointed in the “Green Screen”/CG work that was done in this film. Anyone who has also seen “Mystery Science Theater 3000’s: The Mole People” (Episode 803) will understand when I say: “Avalanche footage….Run!” and relate it to White House Down. It felt that all the scenes were so horribly done that an amusement park which does those pictures where they put your head on someone else’s body would have done a better job with some of the scenes. For instance, at the end of the movie Tatum and Foxx stand in front of a helicopter whose image jumps slightly behind them…..what couldn’t just ask someone with a helicopter if they could film them really standing in front of one? 
All in all it seems to me that perhaps this movie was created as part of a bet. Like someone saw that “Olympus Has Fallen” was in the works and said I bet my 12-year old could make that movie in half the time with half the money. And then they let their 12-year old write, direct, edit, choose the soundtrack, and use at-home movie effects software to make the movie.

If you would like to see a good action movie about bad guys attacking the White House and one guy saving the day……watch “Olympus Has Fallen”. 

The Purge: Movie Review

About the only thing I liked about this movie was it’s opening credits. They decided to open with some very lovely classical type music and they paired it with very violent and jarring scenes. I liked the discord it created between what you were trying to feel from the music and what you were seeing with your eyes.

The rest of the movie seemed like a version of “Panic Room” mixed with “The Strangers” almost like it should have been called “The Panic House of Strangers”.

Ethan Hawke’s character works for a security firm so he has apparently good perks when it comes to his awesome security system for his house…there are just a few things I don’t understand: 1. How do you have awesome outside security and none inside (is the answer there is normally no crime and your not expecting anyone to get in?) 2. How exactly is steel barricading doors and windows supposed to keep marauders from driving trucks through the walls, tunneling, or going through your roof to get you? (so see there should be some inner security going on too)  and 3. In case of a power outage, which is entirely plausible seeing as there are power lines outside that can be disrupted, wouldn’t one plan to have a back-up in place that would provide power to more than just your security monitors…..like maybe lighting your house? Just a thought.

Putting all of these questions aside for the sake of the “It’s a movie” argument, the movie was still too long and boring to keep me interested. I dropped my pen cap on the floor and busied myself with finding it in hopes I would look up after finding it to see the credits rolling….It didn’t happen.

I was disappointed that we are supposed to suspend belief when the kid is “hiding” but has his flashlight waving around the room. It felt like a Ren & Stimpy moment, “I’m hiiiiiiding in the garaaaaaage, like an eeeeediot.” Another annoying point was his pristine white shirt after someone is essentially murdered directly above him. What no high velocity blood spatter? What a lucky shirt.

Finally, I felt that I didn’t get introduced to the neighbors well enough to tell who the main characters were reacting to. They would be in shock and awe when they saw a particular person like “How could you do this?” and I had no clue who that person was or why the main characters felt such indignation towards them.  Perhaps more time could have been spent on introducing the characters and their relationships with each other instead of wasting most of the movie’s long duration on an attempt to evoke suspense by having multiple people wandering slowly and tentatively through a darkened house.

If you are determined to see this movie I suggest that you only rent it and make sure you have another activity handy you can do while you watch the movie. Perhaps some ironing that needs to get done, a crossword puzzle, some important phone calls, or perhaps that crocheting project you’ve been meaning to finish.  

Scary Movie 5: Movie Review

For all who are considering seeing this movie, I would just like to point out the number 5 that follows the main title. If you are still with me on that one then you will understand the type of humor you should be expecting from this film. This movie spoofs several different flicks including these that I noticed: Paranormal Activity, Cabin in the Woods, Black Swan, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Inception, 50 Shades of Gray, Evil Dead, The Help, Mama, and there are mentions/cameo spoofs for Real Housewives, Zero Dark Thirty, and Madea. I may have missed some, but I’m sure that’s the majority.

As one can expect, it has a lot of over-the-top parodies and is goofy most of the time. However, if you have seen many of the movies being spoofed and you are already aware this is the fifth installment, then you will probably get at least a few chuckles from this one. I say watch it when you feel like a goofy movie to take your mind off of things. Some of the scenes that had me giggling were the spoof scenes with people “sleepwalking” and the “pool party”. I also chuckled at the narrator when he “loses the car”.

The movie ends with some funny outtakes during the credits. It is always nice to see the actors think some of the stuff they are filming is too funny to keep a straight face. And for those who want to stay longer there is a very short scene at the end after all of the credits have finished rolling.

World War Z: Movie Review

Having read the book the idea for this movie was taken for I was eager to see it when it was released. For those who have read the book, this movie seems to take bits and pieces from the individuals’ stories and melds them into a continuous story-line that follows one main character (Brad Pitt). So there are elements from several sections of the book but the movie almost seems like it would have been just one section in the book. Now having explained that for the book readers let me move on to the movie aspects that I loved.

I really enjoyed this movie and one of the main reasons is the soundtrack that accompanied it. I have always thought that the music accompanying a movie can make or break it, and the music for this movie was able to enhance my movie-watching experience. For example, when anxiety was needed, the music had me gripping the armrest and climbing the back of my chair. The music was working so well I almost wished I could mute the sound (like I do for really intense horror movies because that usually eases the tension) however, the soundtrack was used so well that when there were scenes without music it was just as bad. They worked wonderful magic with the music for this movie.

I also liked the family interactions that we started the movie off with because anyone with a similar family construction can see their own family in those scenes. Okay, maybe we don’t all look like Brad Pitt or have wonderful kitchens, but kids jumping on you in the morning….check! It was a believable interaction as was the reaction of the masses in such an outbreak. The looting, swarming, and general disregard for laws and humans alike would be an expected reaction if such an incident was taking place in real-life.

I also liked the way that Brad Pitt’s character was able to think so quickly on his feet, and to create his hypothesis from his surroundings and happenings in all the chaos. For instance, he develops his own thoughts on a possible timeline from attack to onset of infection from his child’s counting doll. Most of these types of instances take place in such chaos that it is miraculous that he is able to pinpoint these important facts and implement them into the future actions he takes and decisions he makes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it to World War Z readers, zombie fans, and those who are ready to be crawling up the seat in anticipation.

G.I. Joe Retaliation: Movie Review

Once again my Channing Tatum skepticism and scarring from the first G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009)  movie almost kept me from seeing this movie, however I am glad I overcame my tentativeness. This one was actually enjoyable. The first good thing about this movie is that you don’t have to see the first one or know the TV show to watch it. There were a few times they had me giggling over their corny little jokes. I liked all the “toys” that Firefly was using, which of course were all in line with an action-packed movie. Some of the soundtrack was a little disappointing, especially the “Four Horsemen” song (Not saying that is the actual title of the song) for one of their weapon montages. The movie also had me interested in the “bad guys” choice of world destructing weaponry because it seemed like a very plausible piece of weaponry. It made me ponder the actual repercussions of such a weapon if one was really implemented. Of course they bring you back from the edge of reality though with the ever present “override” button, which caused a reaction that was a tad theatrical. However, it did make me laugh so that is always a good thing. All in all I enjoyed this movie and I think its a good action movie that several age ranges would enjoy.